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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · wave · row · rash · saw · kick · court · club

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. club — for golf
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. court — of law
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. rash — hasty
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. court — of a king
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. chair — a leader
  14. row — to paddle
  15. club — a group
  16. rash — a series
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. row — a line
  19. club — for dancing
  20. kick — in football
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. kick — with a leg

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com